Chapter 52: Making Hay While the Sun Shines, Secured

Monster cores are not uncommon among first- and second-tier demon beasts; they only appear frequently in exceptionally powerful second-tier beasts or those of the third tier and above. However, Dharma Beads are different. The probability of a Dharma Bead appearing is one in ten thousand, and within the entire cultivation world, there are only a few scattered rumors regarding them.

Legend has it that current demon beasts are different races descended from the various giant beasts and great demons of the ancient era. Although their bloodlines have become negligible, they may occasionally awaken a portion of their ancestral abilities, forming a Dharma Bead within their bodies. It is not necessarily true that the higher a beast's strength, the easier it is to awaken one; the appearance of Dharma Beads follows no discernible pattern.

Furthermore, the awakened ability is not necessarily a formidable innate spell; it could be something trivial or even useless. After all, not every demon beast in the ancient era was exceptionally powerful.

However, once an extremely powerful spell is inherited, it is highly likely that as the awakener's cultivation increases, they will possess the immense power to move mountains and overturn seas.

"Seize the Dharma Beads! Seize the monster cores!"

At this moment, the faces of the surrounding cultivators were filled with a frantic fervor, having completely lost their sanity. The legends of the Dharma Beads were distant and mysterious; as they were passed down through word of mouth, some even believed that obtaining a Dharma Bead would lead to an immediate surge in cultivation, allowing one to soar through the nine heavens, look down upon all living beings, and achieve the Great Dao of the Golden Core.

There were also some isolated and uninformed cultivators who did not even know what a Dharma Bead was. However, seeing the crazed expressions of the cultivators around them, even the dullest person could tell it must be an extraordinary treasure.

Thousands of cultivators surged down from the lakeside to fight for the treasures, a scene so magnificent it was breathtaking.

"Haha, I got it! The Dharma Bead is mine!" A young cultivator riding a white eagle was the fastest, snatching the Dharma Bead first. In his ecstasy, he reached out to grab the monster core as well.

"Idiot," Lu Xiaotian said coldly. Before his voice had even faded, dozens of spells struck toward the low-flying white eagle. Hit by various spells, the white eagle and the young cultivator had no time to mount any defense; with a miserable scream, they were blasted into a cloud of blood by the swarm of spells, leaving a flurry of white feathers drifting from the sky.

Witnessing the young cultivator's gruesome death, Lu Xiaotian could only smile bitterly. Originally, he had indeed harbored some intentions regarding the Dharma Bead upon entering the lake. However, the surrounding cultivators had fallen into a state of near-madness; almost anyone who snatched a treasure would be besieged by the surrounding rogue cultivators if they could not escape immediately.

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would not dare claim they could retreat unscathed in such a chaotic melee; even the powerful Crystal Toad had been besieged to death. To say nothing of the Qi Refinement stage cultivators present.

Having realized this, Lu Xiaotian could not help but shake his head. Perhaps this single Dharma Bead would be enough to join any sect. But while the treasure was good, one had to stay alive to take it. He did not believe he had the ability to snatch the Dharma Bead in plain sight of everyone. Thus, Lu Xiaotian settled for a secondary goal, turning his gaze toward the scattered spirit stones and some spiritual items in the lake mud that were being largely ignored by the crowd. Excitedly, Lu Xiaotian harvested over a dozen low-grade water spirit stones and four or five ice spirit stones in succession. Water spirit stones were fine, as he had some stored within his barrier, but the three elemental stones—ice, wind, and lightning—were quite scarce and would be useful in the future.

"Zhiwu Ore!" Lu Xiaotian also collected a piece of ore required by a task from the Ancient Sword Sect into his barrier. It was said to be used for refining the Dharma Tool, the Zhiwu Sword; even this small piece was worth a considerable amount, at least several hundred spirit stones.

Although he couldn't grab the best treasure, being able to scoop up so much profit was quite good. Lu Xiaotian felt quite satisfied; even refining Qi Gathering Pills would take a significant amount of time to earn several hundred spirit stones.

"Hmm?" As Lu Xiaotian reached for a water spirit stone, another hand beat him to it. Glancing over, he saw an acquaintance—the stout man, Zhu Yinhua, whom he had met before entering Moon-Watching City, who had been peddling the Immortal City regulations to him. Perhaps seeing that Lu Xiaotian's cultivation was much higher than his own, Zhu Yinhua snatched the spirit stone and immediately slipped away into the crowd, not even recognizing him.

Lu Xiaotian laughed helplessly. This fat man was truly slippery; despite his heavy build and low cultivation, he could still weave through the surging tide of treasure-seekers—that was a skill in itself. Since it was only a single low-grade spirit stone and there was no serious conflict, Lu Xiaotian didn't bother to argue. It seemed that besides the frenzied cultivators fighting for cores and beads, there was no shortage of people like him who possessed self-awareness and looked for smaller benefits.

By now, a heavy scent of blood permeated the bottom of the lake, as countless cultivators had lost their lives fighting for the cores and beads. Lu Xiaotian made an effort to avoid the vortex of the struggle; otherwise, with his cultivation, being swept into it would be extremely dangerous.

However, no matter how careful he was, the development of events was sometimes beyond individual control. A fierce, brutish man leaped up joyfully and snatched the Dharma Bead out of the air. But very quickly, over a dozen wind blades shot toward him. The hand clutching the Dharma Bead was severed at the wrist in an instant.

"Ah, my hand!" The brutish man screamed in agony, but no one paid any attention to him, a loser in the scramble. Several other cultivators risked everything to grab the Dharma Bead, but they were immediately met by dozens more spells. They recoiled reluctantly, unwilling to give up. The ground was littered with corpses and severed limbs; perhaps because so many people had died in such a short time, no one had even bothered to catch the severed arm, causing it to fall into the mud.

"Where did the Dharma Bead go?"

"Who stole the Dharma Bead? Hand it over, or I'll exterminate your entire clan!" Chaos erupted in the surroundings.

"The Dharma Bead!" Lu Xiaotian's breath hitched. He had intended not to compete, yet unexpectedly, the Dharma Bead had come within arm's reach. Nearby cultivators were making a scene over the bead's brief disappearance, their killing intent palpable.

Fortune is found in danger. He didn't compete because the probability of losing his life was too high, but that didn't mean he didn't want the treasure. Lu Xiaotian steeled his heart; since it had been delivered to his doorstep, he would be a fool not to take it. In the cultivation world, how could one progress without taking any risks? Thus, without hesitation, he used his maximum speed to grab the Dharma Bead from the severed hand and sent it into his barrier.

"Damn it, the Dharma Bead is gone! Which grandson hid it? Hand it over, quickly!"

The cultivators who could no longer see the bead were both angry and anxious. After fighting for so long, they had exhausted most of their essence and spent many spirit stones to replenish themselves, only to find that the treasure they were fighting for had mysteriously vanished.

"Some bastard must have tucked the Dharma Bead into a storage bag! Search! Search every single one until we find it!" many shouted in frustration.

"Patriarch Liao, Patriarch Hu, it seems someone has already obtained the treasure, though we do not know who. We have been busy for days; how can we return empty-handed? There are many rogue cultivators here, and one of our factions alone likely cannot suppress them. Why don't we unite and blockade all the paths leading into the lake and the shores? We shall search through every storage bag to find the Dharma Bead, and then auction it and split the proceeds. What do you say?"

The Long-Eyebrowed Old Monster wiped the mud from his face, looking quite disheveled. As a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, he usually looked down on others and was not even intimidated by the deceased Old Man Feipeng. He had not expected that fighting for treasure in this lake would leave him so bedraggled and, more importantly, empty-handed. Naturally, the Long-Eyebrowed Old Monster was unwilling to accept this.

(End of Chapter)